Feature: Toll Transponder ownership model design, estimate, calibrate/validate

[lmz]

Person level toll transponder ownership model to better address road pricing policies and highway assignment results for tolled/priced corridors. Likely good data on this and this feature is in a few existing models.

Additional Description

• Purpose: Develop a toll transponder ownership model targeted to all agencies
• Likely use the SANDAG model as the starting point
• Assume calibration data already developed for MTC or borrow distributions from another region such as SANDAG?
• Implement revisions
• Reasonably calibrate/validate results and make adjustments as needed
• Add tests and documentation

Added from ActivitySim Budget Phase 9.xslx

[lmz]

Comments from prior discussion:

• ODOT: Just a future tech note. If we do this, we will wan to make it easy for the user to control this with future assumptions, like scenarios where everyone's vehicle has a toll transponder... such as VMT road usage charge replaces the gas tax nationwide...

• SFCTA: I know some regions like SANDAG have incorporated, but I have reservations about investing in this for the same reasons that Alex articulates. I think the idea that future roadway pricing will be constrained by whether someone has a toll transponder doesn't make sense. How could we be considering incorporating high-technology alternatives such as AVs (which don't yet exist in a form that would work throughout an entire regional transportation network) but then also assume that choices will be constrained by low-tech requirements such as whether someone has a toll transponder?

• Ohio: We decided that this has limited usefulness as anyone who is likely to be using toll facilities will have a transponder and see the lower fare. Hence, we've decided that everyone living in the region has a transponder and only a percentage of the IE and EE trips will see the higher tolls.

• Met Council: Our current model does have this. It was a relatively simple model to estimate and implement. It's a good point that this technology might become obsolete, but we can't be sure when, and it could be an important component of road pricing policy modeling for sometime . We agree that it should be flexible to handle future assumptions. As the technology that permits roadway pricing advances, it is possible that access to future devices might still limit some users. Could a transponder model also serve as a knob that could be updated to reflect future constraints for roadway pricing access?

• PSRC- Most of our future tolling involves a per mile road usage fee that everyone pays. We tried toll/non-toll user classes, but have since moved back to handling this in assignment only.

• MTC: Agree that is is likely that future scenarios may need to assume 100% toll responder/transit pass holder rates which limits usefulness of this.